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Queen’s Remote Engineering Initiative moves forward

Monday, August 12th 2013 1:15:42pm

OWA Members Supporting Tomorrow’s Waterpower Engineers

(August 12, 2013, Toronto) The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) congratulates Queen’s University on their success in receiving support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Resource Council of Canada (NSERC) for the Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) program. The multi-year initiative focuses on the unique engineering challenges associated with remote northern locations.

“Supporting sustainable engineering in remote areas is of great importance to the waterpower industry,” said Paul Norris, President of OWA. “I am delighted for Queen’s University Department of Civil Engineering and look forward to supporting the students, our members and the sustainable development of new projects.”

The CREATE program supports the training of highly qualified students through the development of innovative training programs that address significant scientific challenges associated with Canada’s research priorities and facilitate the transition of new researchers from trainees to productive employees in the Canadian workforce. The OWA is supporting the initiative through the strength of its membership, several of whom have volunteered to provide internships to participants in the program.

In October 2012 the OWA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Queen’s Faculty of Engineering, with a specific emphasis on supporting the innovative “Aboriginal Access to Engineering Program.” The participation of OWA members in the CREATE initiative is the first example of implementing the intent of the MOU.

“Collaborative partnerships with industry are an essential element of this initiative,” added Dr. Mark Green, the project lead and Associate Head of the Department of Civil Engineering. “I would like to thank everyone who helped in preparing the proposal - now comes the work of putting our plans into place.”

The OWA has more opportunities for individuals to learn about Northern development and Aboriginal partnerships at the annual Power of Water Canada (POWC) Conference and Tradeshow. This year the conference will be held from October 20th - 22nd at the beautiful White Oaks Conference Resort located in Niagara, Ontario. The POWC Conference is the largest waterpower-focused event in the country and attracts over four hundred (400) delegates from across North America.

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The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) was founded in 2001 to represent the common and collective interests of the province's original green energy sector-waterpower. http://www.owa.ca.